Text: Matthew 26:37-39, 42
By: AVWOKPETA, ESIVWE
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There was this man called Horatio Gates Spafford. He was a lawyer and he invested in real estate in Chicago. It was told that in October 1871, the great fire of Chicago reduced the city to ashes, destroying most of Spafford’s investment. After years they planned a trip to Europe on a family vacation in England. Spafford stayed back because of business demand leaving the wife and four daughters for the trip.
On November 22nd 1873, while crossing the Atlantic, the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel killing 226 people, including all four of spafford’s daughters Annie age 12, Maggie, 7 Bessie, 4 and 18 – month old Tanetta. His wife Anna survived the tragedy. The wife sent a telegram to Spafford that read “saved alone”. This man was inspired to write the hymn “it is well with my soul” as his ship passed where his daughters died when he was travelling to meet his grieving wife. What a tragic situation?
Our text revealed one of those tough moments in the life of our Lord. Please, read the book of Matthew 26:37-39 and 42. Jesus said, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful; some version says, “deeply grieved” to the point of death.
Jesus prayed and said, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou willed.
In a perplexed (ie filled with uncertainty) condition, Jesus was deeply grieved in heart to the point of death. This point of death is the BREAKING POINT.In physics it is described as the Elastic Limit. Elastic Limit is the maximum stress a material can withstand before permanent deformation. Once the stress or force is removed from the material the material will come back to it’s original shape.This “Breaking point”is a point where one is compared to give up under tough time in an intensed stress, pain, frustration, hardship , trial and the unexpected.The decision one takes at this critical time is very crucial.
Jesus final decision was that the father’s will be done. This decision was victory for him. Brethren, life has a way of pushing a man or a family to point where you may doubt the reality of God’s presence.
We had a sister then by name sister Odje. “At a point in her life, she was practically tormented by a kind of sickness that could not be described. Now I have you seen one whose head is forced into a pool of water and such a one begin to gasp for breath? At the point when it seems he is getting weak, head is brought out of the water. After a while again, his head will be forcefully pushed into the water again. This was how the situation of that sister was. We visited several times to pray and fast with and for her and sometimes in our presence her condition can change and will start prayers for God’s interventions she will sometime say God should forgive her in any way she committed any grievous sin. Honestly speaking I still remember when she will say I know my God is still alive”.
My admonition this morning is how we can overcome our near breaking point. (A point where one is suffocated by trials, pains, delay and the unexpected and attempting to give up.)
- Don’t cast away your confidence – Hebrews 10:35-37
There are two major aim behind every attack and tough situation.
- To destroy your confidence in God and integrity of God’s word.
- To introduce the force of fear
The believer will not allow his confidence to be shaken and a believer who to receive the spirit of fear, that is the believer that will weary Satan to victory.
- Understand that HE is the faithful God at both the good and bad time. Job 2:8-10.
What will you do when your expectation has not come to pass even after praying and fasting? When believers do not get result , they are vulnerable.They are put in a position where the the faithfulness of God becomes an issue to debate about.Job’s condition was becoming bad and getting worse and the wife could not imagine how at that over-stretched point the husband could still think of living.So her decision was for him to curse God and die because life is not worth living Job’s response was that, we must expect both the bad and good from God. 1 These. 5:18
Now when you have this understanding, you will not give up on God because of your situation.
- Resolve that nothing Can Separate you from God. – Romans 8:35-39
When some situations and circumstances tends to suffocate you , sometimes it seems that death is better than living. If you don’t hold on strongly to God, one day one can enter the road and say before life kills me let me kill myself. Believes must radically resolve that nothing shall separate us from God’s love. Daniel 3:16-18
CONCLUSION
The journey of the believers in not just a smooth road. Live is tough there are mountains and valleys. If you don’t understand what you into, one day you will not see the need to continue. The deeper and more solid your spiritual foundation is the more unbending you will be in the Face of unfavorable conditions.
Don’t cast away your confidence in God. Understood that our God remains faithful God at all times.
Know we that nothing we separate you from the love of God
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